Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-07-20
Correspondence Of Inc Yorkville Enquire
PICNIC All B%ETHSHILOH.

FODDER, july 16-On laSC wednesday,
the 18th instant, / Sunday-school picnic
was given at Bethhiloh Church. Allison
Creek Sunday-schsol had been invited to
unite with Bethshioh on the occasion. A
cordial invitation vas also extended to the
public. At an cary hour a large crowd of
citizens, not onlyof the community, but
representing Ki1g's Mountain Chapel,
Bethel, Ebenezer Adna, .Yorkville and
other points, hal assembled near the
church.
About $50 A. M, the Sunday-school
exercises were opened with prayer by
Rev. Rodger Martin, after which the
classes sang seve.al beautiful and appro-
pirate pieces. Nh. Martin had written to
two or three ministers requesting them
to be present anGaddress the members of
the Sunday-schosl, but as each of these
gentlemen had Iprevious engagements,
they were unfbfs5tO attend. In their alb
sence, Mr.. Martin delivered a brief, but
very interesting address. He contrasted
the age in which we live with a century
ago. He spoke of the time when cotton
had to be separated from the seed by hand ;
now we have the cotton gin and a bale Of
cotton can be ginned in n hour. Then
the mode of travel was slow and tedious ;
now we have excellent railroad facilities,
and the riversand lakes and seas of Amer
lea float thousandsof magnificent steamers
bearing the passengers and products OF
the country. Then our news facilities
were slow and imperfect now, in addl-
ton to our improved mail facilities, we
have the telegraph and the telephone.
But greater than all the inventions and
discoveries that have been made, is the
Sunday-school. It is a great university in
which every Sunday all Christian people,
all over the civilized world, are engaged
in the study of the same passages of scrip
ture. He then refuted the objections to
the Sunday-school. One of the first OBJ
jections is that the Sunday-school is taking
the place of family instruction. This, Mr..
Martin commended, is a mistake. Family
instruction was going to decay previous to
to the institution of the Sunday-school,
and the latter institution was intended as
an aid, a help, a stimulant to family re-
ligion. "NoW," said Mr.. Martin, "the
Sunday-school has come to stay, gentle
men," It has got such a hold on the
hearts and affections of the people that it
cannot be rooted out. You might as we'll
attempt to overturn Mount Blanc. The
man who, at the present day, will not
identify himself with the Sunday-school,
is an old fogy, and he is a hundred years
behind the times. It would be better for
those who are grumbling and croaking at
the Sunday-school, to take hold Of it and
mould it and make it what it ought to be-.
A special committee of arrangements
had been appointed, and Mr.. Martin i'm
pressed upon them the duty of doing all
in their power to contribute to the COM
fort and enjoyment of those present. At
IL o'clock M, a long table was literally
loaded with everything in the way of pro-
visions calculated to please the eye and
tempt the appetite. Just before the ring
ing Of the bell, Mr.. Martin addressed the
crowd briefly, and among other things
said: "We intend to fill you to the full
extent of your capacity" This threat was
carried out to the letter, and every one
went away from the table with appetites
fully satiated. The afternoon was spent
in innocent, p~leasurable, social enjoyment,
during which time Cupid sustained his
reputation as an expert archer. TO sum up
briefly, there was no disorder, no drunken
ness, no unpleasantness but on the con-
trary everything passed quietly and pleas
antly, and nothing occurred throughout
the day to mar, in the slightest degree,
the pleasure of the occasion, and every
one went away delighted with the days
enjoyment, pronouncing the picnic a per-
feet success, q most gratifying fact to every
one, but especially to those residing in
the immediate nighborhood, who, reali-
zing their responsibility in the matter, nat
urally felt a deep interest in the success of
the occasion. DUDE.